In such a flat-bed knitting machine, known from "Wirkereiund Strickerei-Technik" [Knitting Technology], 1974, pp. 65 to 70 of this kind the handlebar is connected With one part of a clutch, the other part of which is connected to be fixed against relative rotation with the drive shaft of the motor which is switched o during idle. A movement of the handlebar has the effect of engaging the two clutch parts of the clutch, which in this case is a friction clutch, and in this manner setting the carriage in motion. Although the carriage can in this way be connected and disconnected and also accelerated in a certain way, it is impossible to cause the carriage to move slowly and in an exactly defined way across the needled bed in this way, because the carriage can only be moved by steps along the needle bed by a reciprocating movement of the handlebar, i.e. by connecting and disconnecting it. However, a slow, continuous movement of the carriage along the needle bed is desired by the operator for controlled positioning of the machine, therefore a hand crank had to be used in this known flat-bed knitting machine in order to let the carriage move continuously along the needle bed at a slow or creep rate for positioning and checking of the stitch formation. Since the hand crank is fixed at one place, the operator cannot watch the needle bed at the same time.
A flat bed knitting machine is known from "Melliand Textileberichte" [Melliand Textile Reports], 8/1965, pp. 828 to 834, in which it is possible to start a clutch motor by turning of a handlebar and to put the carriage into motion along the needle bed. Although it is possible by means of this handlebar to put the carriage into slow motion without the use of a hand crank, this can only be done if prior to this the motor speed has been changed by swiveling the motor and thus changing a flexible V-belt pulley by means of a twist grip fixed on the machine frame. A change of speed so that a creep rate operation becomes possible, subsequently followed by a normal working speed, is only possible in a relatively cumbersome way.